KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Frostburg State women's lacrosse team dropped its season opener against to No. 20 Kutztown by a 17-5 final.
Kutztown would control the ball early and test new Bobcat goalie, sophomore Liz Amos, who would come up with three saves in the first five minutes, two of those on free position shots. Following the third save, FSU got the clear leading to freshman Avery O'Hara scoring her first collegiate goal to go up 1-0. Amos made another save before the Golden Bears would tie things at 1-1 two minutes later. Senior Daniella Boss tested KU keeper Marisa Bragg before classmate Neila Haney scored her first goal of the year to put the Bobcats up 2-1 with 4:33 left in the first. Amos looked to keep Frostburg in the lead with another pair of stops, however Kutztown was able to equalize with just under two minutes left in the period to take a 2-2 tie into the second.
Through the first two and a half minutes of the next frame, the only chance came from KU testing Amos before taking their first lead on a free position. Over the next six minutes, the Golden Bears held FSU without a shot, while firing once wide and another off the crossbar themselves. In the second half of the quarter, Kutztown took full control, scoring four goals in a three-minute span to surge ahead 7-2. The Bobcats would take advantage of a man-up advantage late on when Haney found O'Hara to get within four, but just 30 seconds later KU answered and then tacked on a last-second score to lead 9-3 at the break.
Less than a minute into the third, the Golden Bears would net their tenth goal of the day, then both netminders made a save apiece for the next five and a half minutes. Kutztown added another goal towards the midway point of the frame before the Bobcats had a trio of chances, with Haney and senior Sydney Stone denied by Bragg while classmate Emily Lamoreaux fired high. With just under five on the clock, KU netted a pair of quickfire goals to build up a 13-3 lead, with Haney then scoring Frostburg's lone score of the period two minutes later. Following an FSU turnover and a good clear, the Golden Bears went back up by double-digits to lead 14-4 after three.
Both sides struggled with turnovers for the first four minutes of the final frame, as KU went for a pair of scores two minutes apart to lead 16-4. Off of an Amos save with seven minutes left, Haney completed her hat trick on a solo effort. O'Hara was then denied on a free position by Bragg, allowing Kutztown to go on the clear and score the game's final goal with two minutes to play. Boss and freshman Caitlyn Marsicano were both stopped on Bragg saves, resulting in the hosts' 17-5 win.
Haney and O'Hara were the lone FSU players to score, the former going for three goals and an assist while the latter had a pair of scores. Amos tallied 11 saves and three groundballs on the day, as senior Izzy Kelly helped the defensive effort with a pair of caused turnovers and groundballs.
The loss makes the Bobcats 0-1 to start the season and moves Kutztown to 2-0. Frostburg hits the road again Saturday, February 28 when they face Bloomsburg for a 1 PM start. For more information please visit frostburgsports.com.
